A robust indigenous defense industry would help Taiwan counter China’s unflagging military buildup. In late June, two Chinese destroyers sailed into Taiwan’s territorial waters. They stayed in the Taiwan Strait for nearly a week, coming within 60 nautical miles of Lamay – an island off of Taiwan’s southwestern coast – before sailing onward. It was…

Taiwan aims to provide 20% of electrical power generation from renewable energy sources by 2025. In recent months, Taiwan has made significant strides towards achieving its goal of developing large-scale offshore wind-power resources. The government’s plans call for installing as many as 500 giant wind turbines in the Taiwan Strait in order to reach 3…

Major multinationals are engaging in research and training programs in Taiwan. How can Taiwan’s highly successful – but low margin – contract electronics manufacturing prowess be leveraged to create innovative brand leaders as higher-margin “internet of things” (IoT) businesses? That is the ambitious task given to the government’s Asia Silicon Valley Development Agency (ASVDA) as…

The European Union (EU)’s new data protection regime, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will come into force on May 25, with huge implications for how global businesses, including those in Taiwan, handle personal data. The GDPR, which succeeds the Data Protection Directive of 1995, aims to harmonize data-protection regulations across the EU. But the…

People have long followed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s example of taping a piece of paper over their notebook’s camera to ensure their privacy, and Chinese manufacturer Huawei’s plans for the U. S. market have likely been permanently derailed by chronic rumors that its devices send private information straight back to the Chinese government. Yet the…

Declaring that “information security is national security,” President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration has made considerable progress fulfilling promises to beef up Taiwan’s cybersecurity defenses as well as to spur development of the home-grown cybersecurity sector. A Department of Cybersecurity was established in 2016 as an official unit under the Executive Yuan, upgraded from its previous incarnation…

“White hat” hackers and cyber-cops fight crime in Taiwan’s heavily attacked cyberspace. Cybercrime is a growing problem in Taiwan and around the world, cybersecurity experts and law enforcement officers agree. “It’s absolutely on the rise because everything is connected to the internet – you can shop online, can do anything,” says Wu Fu-mei, acting director…

The situation is seen not only as a threat to be defended against, but also as an opportunity to build new lines of business. Globally 2017 saw a surge in cyberattacks that raised the alarm over cybersecurity. Among the most sensational incidents were the WannaCry ransomware hack that infected 230,000 computers in 150 countries, including…

The episode revealed deep-seated problems in the defense-contracting process. In February, Kaohsiung prosecutors indicted four executives and one consultant of the Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co., charging them with fraud, breach of trust, and violation of banking laws. If convicted, the defendants could face prison sentences ranging from 20 to 30 years, although the prosecution has…

Taiwan Business TOPICS

Taiwan Business TOPICS is published monthly by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, and covers current topic affecting business conditions in Taiwan, an Industry Focus section on a particular industrial sector, and other reports prepared by the magazine’s staff of experienced professional journalists.